Escondido murder suspect returned to U.S.

ESCONDIDO  An Escondido gang member was returned to the U.S. Wednesday night to face murder charges, nearly six years after authorities say he shot a father to death in front of his 12-year-old son at a Halloween party.

Escondido police took custody of Rene Sanchez, 22, following his escort from Mexico City, where he has been held since his arrest in February, police Detective Miguel Ramirez said.

“I have been waiting a long time for this one,” said Ramirez, lead investigator on the case since the start.

The fatal shooting of Carlos Estrada, 35, of Hemet, occurred on Oct. 27, 2008, at an Escondido home on Pueblo Glen near El Norte Parkway.

Authorities said a friend of the party hostess brought along a few new acquaintances to the gathering. Among them was Sanchez, who was 16 at the time.

Witnesses said he and his buddies began issuing gang challenges, and then attacked the partygoers.

Estrada, who grew up in Escondido and had no gang affiliation, was on the patio when he was shot in front of children, including his son. Estrada’s daughter, then a teenager, and his wife were also at the party.

A second man was shot in the back but survived, Ramirez said. Also during the melee, the party hostess was stabbed in the torso. She spent about a week in the hospital.

The assailants fled the party, and investigators were tasked with figuring out who they were.

In 2011, authorities charged Sanchez with murder as an adult and issued an arrest warrant. An arrest warrant was also issued for Augustine Jaime Reyes, 32, who is suspected of stabbing the party hostess.

Authorities believe Sanchez and Reyes fled separately to Mexico.

Sanchez was found living in a small town just south of Tijuana, Ramirez said. After his arrest, he was taken to Mexico City to await extradition to the U.S. He was flown to San Diego on Wednesday.